DOWNER

05.31.12

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise

Stan Honda, AFP / Getty Images

The job market remains sluggish as summer kicks off, with more people queuing up to collect unemployment than expected last week. The number of weekly unemployment benefit applications increased for the first time in a month, disappointing economists who were expecting hiring to pick up in May. A separate jobs report Thursday reflected only modest hiring rates in private businesses. This data doesn’t figure into the May unemployment rate, which analysts expect will be an improvement from April.